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Meet Jeffrey, our newest VBU! contributor, better known as The Beet-Eating Heeb. Jeffrey is a Prius-driving, bicycle-riding, yoga-posing Jew who lives in Pittsburgh, PA. He is the Executive Director of Jewish Vegetarians of North America. Join Jeffrey on his blog, Facebook and Twitter. Please welcome Jeffrey!

Is the vegan advocacy and animal rights movement on the cusp of transforming society?

Will it soon take its place alongside the feminist and civil-rights movements as a source of genuine, positive and lasting social change?

The Beet-Eating Heeb is not quite prepared to answer with an unqualified yes.

Known as the Animal Rights Conference (ARC), the four-day event drew approximately 500 people to a Hilton in Alexandria, VA.

The Beet-Eating Heeb, in his previous career incarnations, attended more national conferences than he can possibly count, including some much larger than ARC, such as the massive AIPAC Policy Conference.

But never has he witnessed such energy, emotion and commitment at a conference as he did last week.

Author Roberta Kalechofsky, a key advisor to Jewish Vegetarians of North America, discusses her books in the exhibit hall at the Animal Rights Conference.

The exhibit hall bristled with activity as conference goers jammed the narrow aisles to buy vegan books and t-shirts, pick up brochures, and trade stories with fellow activists. Several speakers received rousing standing ovations as they discussed their work on behalf of animals. More than one speaker broke down in tears in describing the horrific cruelty inflicted on cows, pigs, chickens and turkeys. A high percentage of the attendees, perhaps half, were under 40 years of age.

To paraphrase legendary hockey announcer Mike Lange, “You would have had to be there to believe it.”

So, what is the source of this vibe, this passion at a conference devoted mainly to vegan advocacy?

There are two sources, the way The Beet-Eating Heeb sees it.

One, vegan advocates are feeling the momentum as our movement accumulates significant gains. Veganism, relegated to the margins of society for decades, is suddenly becoming mainstream as more and more thought leaders promote its benefits and as vegan options proliferate in grocery stores and restaurants.

Two, vegan advocates are drawing energy from the sense of moral outrage we justifiably feel, aware as we are that 9 billion farm animals are being brutally murdered in the U.S. alone this year, aware that about 8.5 billion of them are subjected to lives of abject misery before they are trucked to the slaughterhouse.

The pieces are indeed falling into place to create a social-change movement of historic proportions.

As was the case with the historic social-change movements of yesteryear, there exists a deeply rooted, pervasive, absolutely unacceptable condition in society. And there exists a growing awareness of the problem.

Joy, unbridled

“History will look back at veganism as one of the most important, transformative movements in human history,” Melanie Joy, a vegan author and psychologist, said at the conference.

A couple of week ago, The Beet-Eating Heeb might have dismissed such a statement as wishful thinking.

But after spending a few days with his fellow advocates, BEH can see the seeds of something big, very big, starting to bloom.

Which leads to a final, and, in The Beet-Eating Heeb’s mind, a very important question:

As the movement matures and gains ever more adherents, will people of religious faith be at the vanguard or on the sidelines?

There were several Jews at ARC. May there be many more next year. Compassion for animals is not just a Jewish teaching, it’s a core concept of our religion. Our Torah narrative, Mishnah and Talmud express exquisite sensitivity to the suffering of animals. We should be overrepresented in this new social-change movement, just as were in the feminist and civil rights movements of prior generations.